Dr\ H. Woodward — Australian Mesozoic Plants. 291 



I concluded, at first sight, that I had before me a badly-preserved 

 specimen of Clathraria or Biicklandia, agreeing closely in aspect and 

 mineral condition with Mantell's specimens of this Cycad from the 

 Wealden of Tilgate Forest, 



In this interpretation, I regret to say, I have not the support of 

 my colleague, Mr. William Carruthers, F.R.S., of the Botanical 

 Department, whose Memoir on the Fossil CycadeEe I have already 

 quoted. Mr. Carruthers is of opinion that the fragment of silicified 

 wood does not represent a part of the surface of a Cycadean stem 

 covered with more or less rhomboidal scars arranged in close 

 proximity to each other and in a quincuncial matter, but that we 

 are looking at a piece of fossil wood which has been largely occupied 

 by Teredince, and that the appearance of rhomboidal leaf-scars (see 

 Plate VII. Figs. 6, and 7a, b, c) is really caused by a more or less 

 compacted mass of the tubes of Teredo, the extremities of which 

 have left the rounded protuberances observed in the fossil. There 

 is certainly an absence of any clear quincuncial arrangement of the 

 leaf-scars (a character clearly observable in Fig. 1 of our Plate), and 

 this is a point upon which Mr. Carruthers very strongly insists. 

 There is of course an alternative course open, namely, to suggest 

 that it is a Cycadean stem bored into by Teredoes ; but if we admit 

 the TerecZo-theory, there is no evidence as to the nature of the wood 

 itself into which they had bored, that being (save for the carbona- 

 ceous crust) replaced by quartzite. 



In a case of this kind it seems highly desirable to call attention to 

 these remains, although so very fragmentary, in order that further 

 search may be made, and other and better-preserved specimens 

 obtained. 



There is another specimen in exactly similar lithological condition 

 to those from Mt. Babbage, marked Mt. Adams, but it does not 

 throw any additional light upon the exact botanical nature of these 

 fossils. 



3. — A block of quartzite or sandstone, covered upon one side with 

 impressions of strap -like leaves and slender stalks of some vegetable, 

 and an obscure hollow impression which may possibly have con- 

 tained a fruit, suggest the abundant presence of plant remains. 

 These are marked " Cutaway Hills, Leigh's Creek." Similar casts 

 of plant-fragments occur in the same locality in a white compact 

 fine-grained siliceous matrix, which seems largely made up of im- 

 pressions of plants, although the carbonaceous matter has been 

 removed. Neither affords sufficient evidence for exact determination. 



Leigh's Creek is marked upon Mr. Hy. Y. L. Brown's Map of 

 South Australia as a Southern branch of the Froome River, running- 

 out of one of the arms of Lake Eyre (138^ East Long., and about 

 30° S. Lat.) ; but Cutaway Hills are not marked on the map. 



4. — Another specimen, labelled "Mount Adams," ^ consists of a very 

 similar quartzite to the preceding, but less saccharoid, on one surface 

 of which is seen the impression of a palmate leaf, half of which only 



^ Is Mount Adams the same place aS Mount Babbage ? 



